Improvement in harvesters



' l `||v|I aovElvlErv-'r IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 105,612, dated July 19, 1870.

To all 'whom it may colwem: v `Be it known thatA I, HENRY C. VELIE, of

l Poughkeepsie, inthe countyA of Dutchess 'and lStateof NewYork,- have" invented a new and Improved Mowing-Machine 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to `make and use the' y same, reference being had-to the accompanying drawing, formingpart of this specification, y

in which drawing- Figure l represents a longitudinal section of this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts. `This invention relates to a mowing-machine which is provided withan adjustable spring` `attached to the hoisting-lever, in such a manner that the pressure of the bar on the ground, and7 consequently, the power required foiI drawingthe machine along, are diminished, the

y bar is preserved from injurywhen-suddenly dropped, the machinel isrelieved when in op-` eration, or in` striking obstructions, and. it' 'is prevented from. being overturned -when getting clogged'or fast toobstructions. The trackboards are suspendedfrom the ends of a: double-armed lever, to which an oscillating motion can be imparted from the driver?s seat, insuch a manner that,.when one track-board is lowered the other is `raised,`and vice versa, and` consequently the` grass. is spread overmore surface and the draftreduced. The drivingwheels are providedwith internal ratchets, which` i are locked to the axleby gravitatingplates when the machine moves forward, and released when the machine runs back.V The platform which supports the drivers seat and the draft-pole, and which also carries the tracky board lever, is attached to the axle by means of straps and loops, which slide on theaXle, so that said platform, together with the 'draftpole, can be adjusted, in a transverse direcy tion, and `thedraft can. be accommodated to y the varying position ofthe track-boards. The

track-boards are pivoted to iianges extending from the rear of the shoes, and which serve to keep said` track-boards the proper position. The ordinary-doubletree and singletrees are replaced by` two levers pivoted to a guide-block secured to the draft-pole, and the horses `are spread, so as to walk either. inside .or outside of the cut, or right in front of the leading-wheels. v Suitable track-clearers attached to the shoes keep the grass clear from the driving-wheels. 4

ln the drawing, the letter-A'represents a frame, made of wood or any other suitable material', arid provided with journal-boxes,- to receive the axle G ofthe driving-wheels B. These` wheels are mounted loosely 011 the ends of the axlefand theyare provided in their hubs each with an' internal ratchet, @,and with a gravitatingstop, b, which is connected to the aide 'bylugs projecting from a disk, c, and catching in slots of the stop, said disk beingkeyedto the axle. (See Fig.- 3.) The stop drops in gearwith the ratchet-teeth by its own gravity, and compels the axle to turn with the driving-wheels whenv the machine is drawn forward, but in backing or turning the machine either both or onlyvone of the driving-wheels turn independent of the a'Xle.

By placing the ratchet-.teeth and the gravi` tating-stop in theinterior of the hub, thesev parts are protected 4against dirt or impurities,

and a ,correct operation;` of this mechanism is/ insured.'

To one of the 'driving-wheels is secured a cog-Wheel, d, which gears in `a pinion, c, attached to the end of the Vcounter-shaft f. On this shaft is mounted a clutch, g, and a sliding cog-wheel, h, which can loe-thrown in or out lof gear with the clutch by means of the shipper -lever if, and which, whenA in -gear Vwith said clutch, transmits its motion to the crankshaft j, from which the motion is further transmitted to the cutter-bar. 'This crankshaft has its bearings in standards u, which are provided with ears or flanges uit,` (see Fig.

6,) overlapping the edges of the cross-bar of the frame, to which they are secured, so that they have a firm-hold, and are not liablevto work loosei.`

f Theshipper-lever is provided with a fork, which catches in a groove in the hub of the sliding cog-wheel h, and its rear end lrests in 'a loop oreye, K, which is Ysecured rto the under surface of the rear cross-bar of the frame, so that the lever isiirmly held inv position without being weakened by ahole, and that in operating said lever the frame is not scratched.

The lifting-lever is operated from the driversseat D, which is supported by the platform E. From this platform extends the draftpole F, and to its under surface is secured a spring, lf, which connects, by a screw-bolt, l, with the hoisting-lever m.

By screwing up the n'ut of the screw-bolt l the front end of the frame A can be so adjusted that it just bears on the ground, so that the power required .for drawing the machine along is materially reduced; and, furthermore, if the cutters or fingers come in contact with an obstruction, the front end of the machine is free to rise and to pass over said obstruction, and the machineis not liable to be overturned. The balance-spring 7talso prevents the front end of the machine, when being lowered, from droppin g suddenly to the ground,

and injury to the cutters and fingers is avoided.

To the front end of the frame A are secured the shoes n, which 'support the nger-bar o and the leading-wheels l). These leadingwheels are secured on the inner sides of the shoes, and their axles have their bea-rings in slottedstandards r, rising from the front ends of the shoes, (see Fig. 4,) so that the leadingwheels can be adjusted higher or lower, and the height of the cut can be regulated.

rlhe upper surfaces of the shoes are provided with recesses like the lingers, to receive the knives attached to the ends of the cutter-bar.

The rear ends of the shoes form track-clearers s, which prevent the grass from coming in contact with the driving-wheels.

The iingers t are provided with steel points tit, (see Fig. 5,) which are cast into them, the object being to prevent the points of the 1ingers from getting' bent or dull.

rlhe slotted standards r of the shoes are provided with holes in their tops,.to receive the guide-rods o, which are formed as shown in Fig. 7, their ends c* being bent obliquely, so that when the same are dropped into the holes of the standards r, and the other ends, ot, are bent down and fastened on the top of the frame A, said guide rods will assume the ciuved shape desired, without any further trouble. The ends 12'* of the guiderods are clamped under washers w, as shown in Fig. 2.

On the platform E is secured a rod, which has its bearings in suitable loops and staples, and one end of which is turned up at right angles, so that an oscillating motion can be imparted to it by the action of the foot of the person occupying the drivers seat. To the rear end of this rod is attached a doublearmed lever, y, from the ends of which are suspended the track-boards z. These trackboards are pivoted to the shoes n, and they serve to scrape together the grass, as the same is cut by the action of the cutters, and to clear a track for the machine in coming back.

Vhen both track-boards are lowered, the grass is collected on a comparatively narrow space, and much power is expended in drawing the machine without producing an adequate result.

In my machine the track-boards, being suspended from a double-armed lever, are brought in operation successively, that one of the track-boards which is next to the standing grass being down, while the other one is up. The grass, therefore, is scraped out of the path of the machine in returning, but it is allowed to -spread over a much greater surface than it would be if both track-boards should be brought in operation simultaneously.

rEhe platform E is attached to the axle G'by straps lo and loops l', so that the same, together with the draft-pole, can be moved in a lateral direction to equalize the draft, according to the position of the draft-boards and to the increased weight on one side of the machine.

The horses are either spread by means of a common double-tree with two single-trees, so as to walk just in front of the leading-wheels, or I use, by preference, two levers, a', which are pivoted at their inner ends to a block, b', which is fastened tothe draft-pole, as shown in Fig. 2.

By this arrangement the double and single trees can be dispensed with, and yet the horses are not allowed to pull against each other.

The motion ofthe cutter-bar is produced by a bell-crank lever, c', the end of one arm of which catches between V-shaped lugs d', projecting from the cutter-bar, while its other arm terminates in a ball, e', which is embraced by the box f in the connecting-rod g. A detached section of this box is shown in Fig. S. It consists'of two parts, which are bored out to form a spherical socket to receive the ball e', and these two parts are held in the proper relation to each other by a wedge, h', which is adjusted by a screw, i.

By this arrangement all dead motion in the box and between the bell-crank lever and the V-shaped lugs ofthe cutter-bar can be avoided, and the motion of the cutter-bar is effected with comparatively little power.

The arms j of the driving-wheels are undulating, as shown in Fig. l, so that the same preserve a certain degree of elasticity, whereby the tires of the wheels are prevented from cracking, as the same shrink in cooling, or from breaking by blows, to which the same are exposed when the machine is drawn over stones or rugged ground.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement of the lifting-lever for raising the inger-bar with the balance-spring and adjusting-screw for relieving the front part of a mowing-machine, substantially as described.

2. 'Ihe block Zn', formed with iianges, as described, in combination with the separatelypivoted draft-bars a a and the draft-pole of a mowing-machine, substantially as set forth.

1 3. The eyes l', attaehedto the-platform E, 5. The double-armed lever y, in combination md slifdillgy on the axle C, in combination WithI with the oscillating rod :v and truck-boards z, thetiuek-boards and oscillating levell y, subsubstantially as described.l

"Stantidly beset forth. HENRY C. VELIE.

4.. vThe combination of the graVtating-stop Witnesses Withthe ratchet-Wheels `im J[che interior of the hubsf of the drving-Wheels, substantially as WALTER FARRINGTON,

described. d S.,E. FARRINGTON. 

